One dead and six injured in horror M40 pile up

Emergency services at the scene of the fatal crash on the M40 (Image: @wmas)

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A car driver died and six other people were treated for injuries following a double pile-up on the M40 which closed the motorway.

The crashes occurred just before midnight on the southbound stretch of the motorway about half a mile before junction 15 for Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick.

Two lorries and three cars are reported to have been involved in the two separate incidents.

One of the trucks exploded into flames - severely damaging the road surface . It was reopened northbound by 2.30pm, and one lane southbound was also flowing - but two lanes were closed for more repair work.

The Highways Agency later tweeted:

The car was also destroyed by the blaze and wreckage was strewn across three lanes of the motorway.

Its driver was confirmed dead at the scene.

The second crash was reported a short time later and a short distance from the scene of the previous pile-up.

West Midlands Ambulance Service deployed three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, two paramedic area support officers, the Hazardous Area Response Team and a trauma doctor to the scene.

A spokesman said: “Tragically, the driver of the car was confirmed dead at the scene of the first incident.

“The lorry driver, a man in his 50s, was very shaken by what had happened but was uninjured. After assessment and treatment at the scene, he was discharged.

“Thermal imaging cameras on the police helicopter and also hand held units from the fire service were used at the scene but no other casualties were found.”

The second incident happened about a mile away from the first collision when two cars crashed.

One of the cars left the carriageway and plunged more than 12 ft down an embankment adjacent to the motorway.

It also suffered a small engine fire. The second car spun and collided, side on, with the rear of an HGV.

The ambulance service spokesman added: “By chance, a fire engine that was going to the first incident came past the second and very rapidly dealt with the car fire. Although there was damage to outside of the vehicle, the inside was largely undamaged.

“A couple in their 70s with their granddaughter who was in her 20s were travelling in the first car. The couple were assessed at the scene and discharged. Their granddaughter was complaining of abdominal pain and was taken to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

“There were two women in their 20s in the second car. It had suffered fairly extensive damage, but fortunately, there was no intrusion into the passenger area. One of the women was complaining of lower back pain, while the other had chest pain. Both were taken to the Alexandra Hospital as a precaution though their conditions were not serious.